Mumbai's debacle this season has upset former Ranji Trophy coach Karsan Ghavri.

The former India pacer, who was on the Managing Committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) till last year, said Mumbai’s rich legacy is in jeopardy. Ghavri’s comment came a day after Mumbai’s newly-appointed coach Lalchand Rajput told mid-day that the city’s cricket was at an “all-time low”.

Abhishek Nayar at a practice session. File Pic

Mumbai has managed to win a solitary title (U-14) this season so far. On Monday, after their Ranji Trophy ouster, they made a tame exit in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (West Zone league) after losing three out of their four one-day matches. The season will end with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tourney.

“Mumbai is not known for such shocking performances. Our cricket is going backwards day by day. Our famous legacy is in big trouble. I still believe coach Sulakshan Kulkarni should not have been replaced in the middle of the season.

We have only jeopardised our chances further. A new coach will take time to settle down,” a fuming Ghavri said.

Karsan Ghavri

Value the Mumbai capGhavri, who is the bowling academy coach with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), lashed out at the attitude of youngsters in the Mumbai team. “Today’s youngsters don’t know the value of a Mumbai cap. This is not an ordinary cap which you get at stores. This is a prized possession. The kind of effort cricketers have put in to get into the Mumbai team was tremendous. They (youngsters) are taking this (Mumbai cap) very lightly. I don’t see that hunger anymore.

“I remember cricketers like Dilip Vengsarkar and Sandeep Patil would not get sleep at night when they performed badly. The team looks completely off-track. I have also heard about groupism in the team. All these factors are not taking Mumbai cricket forward. It pains a lot to see Mumbai cricket in doldrums. I hope the MCA takes corrective measures to revive it soon,” Ghavri said.

Though Ghavri also came down heavily on the selection of a few players for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he also appreciated the selection of 16-year-old Sarfaraz Khan, who was one of the top performers for India in the recent U-19 World Cup. “We need to groom and encourage such talent,” he concluded.